NASCAR Team Chevrolet driver Ryan Newman, who has an Engineering degree from Purdue University, toured the engineering and vehicle development areas of the GM Milford Proving Ground June 17 in Milford, Michigan. The Stewart-Haas Racing driver spent the afternoon talking to engineers and test-driving a Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 development vehicle.

Newman is in Michigan this weekend where he will be trying to win his third NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Michigan International Speedway. Newman will join 42 others drivers Sunday when he takes the green flag in his U.S. Army/Bud Moore Chevy for Stewart-Haas Racing in the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips 400.

Newman the engineer, however, sounded a lot more like Newman, the driver, when he talked about his experience at the GM proving ground.

"It was pretty neat from a technical standpoint to see where GM is at their proving grounds,” Newman said. “Number one – their proving grounds in Milford was amazing. The size of it and the mileage of testing tracks and courses and surfaces that they have working on ride control and stability and braking and things like that was pretty amazing. Then to get to drive the Camaro – the super-charged Camaro was pretty wild out on their skid pad.”

“They’ve got a 67-acre skid pad and half of it has been repaved,” Newman continued. “We got to work on the grippy half so talking about the race track, I guess it’s kind of similar. We got to race on the new Michigan yesterday at the skid pad and the old Michigan was getting repaved. The way they work with their computers and the technology aspect of it to work on their stability control and they’re antilock braking and things like that. I was driving a Camaro and the engineer had a computer in the right side and he could manipulate the car and work on the traction control and things like that. It’s pretty neat to see their facilities for the first time and understand that they’re a big part of what has been very successful in the NASCAR Chevrolet program."

I bet if Newman's career as a racecar driver didn't work out, he'd be perfect as a vehicle test engineer

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Note, if I've gotten any facts wrong in the above, just ignore any points I made with them
__________________don't believe a thing you read about the next gen Camaro -- as history has proven time and time again:

WE DO NOT TALK ABOUT FUTURE PRODUCT PLANS PERIOD FbodFather __________________

I am thinking that car on the lift was a iteration of what is to be the ZL1, but not the final product..... if you freeze the video, you can see the dual tip exhaust, and also you can see the new farther position of the rear sway bar coming through the lower control arm......

As far as camo..... I will all but guarantee we have NOT seen the REAL ZL1...... not to mention, it could be another "Z" being tested

"...What IS true: We anticipated that this would happen - we are never finished - and yes, Ford DOES deserve to win now and then. To think that GM can come out with a car to make ford throw in the towel is simply foolhardy..." - fbodfather